5 Skin care tips for a Selfie-ready glow

Hello Sunshine! Do you love taking selfies? I do! I'm not ashamed of it. I take selfies when I'm feeling pretty. I take selfies when I feel happy. I take selfies to check if my makeup if OK on camera. I think taking selfies is an art, take Kim Kardashian who is making a business out of it! LOL But the thing about selfies, it's not as inspiring to filter or edit (since it's your very basic frame). That's why it's important to have insta-ready skin when you selfie. That way, you'd be deserving of that #NoFilter hashtag every single time!

Odd that I'm talking about selfies, but I suppose what's more odd is the part where I haven't taken a selfie in a long while! I've gotten so busy, even my vanity had to sit on the side! haha

Anyway, few days ago I received a care package from Happy Skin, which inspired me to take a selfie and break my no-selfie streak. I was wearing very minimal makeup that day, so I was very pleased that my skin still looked pretty nice. :) 

So today, I'll share with you a few skin-caring secrets so your skin would glow like mine! A lot of these tips are basic skin care know-how, but sometimes we take for granted. Hope you like my tips, and keep me posted with your selfie-ready stories in the comments!

Skin care tip #1 Let your skin breathe

Less is more. That rule rings true when it comes to wearing makeup. The more you let your skin breathe, the more it will thank you. If you're just wearing makeup for school or office, you don't have to pile on a lot. A light layer of CC cream would be enough. If you need more coverage, reach for a BB cream. Either way, a CC or BB cream will help smooth lines, give the right coverage to hide blemishes, as well as give you a boost of sun protection (just make sure you're using one with SPF).

Skin care tip #2 Sleep with a clean face

To be honest, although I love makeup, I used to not wear makeup everyday. But now I kinda do. I think it's my insecurity with my brows. I really want perfect brows lately... and I just can't grow them out naturally... Not #blessed haha Anyway, because I wear makeup everyday, I make it a point that I sleep without them still on my face! Lately, I've been trying out a cleansing oil from Celeteque, which smells really really good, like a field of roses, so I love that. But normally, my makeup cleansing routine is as follows: cleansing oil, wiped off with cleansing wipes, and then washed off with Cetaphil. I like using Cetaphil for removing makeup because I feel like it's gentle enough to be used over and over again in one go (which I need to do especially when I'm feeling a bit OC when it comes to removing my eye makeup),

Skin care tip #3 Drink lots of H2O and Get enough sleep

My skin gets a lot dry and flaky when I'm, two things: not hydrated and not getting enough sleep. It's just a norm now. I guess the gift of youth is slowly fading, because before I can get away staying up all night without my skin suffering! But now, I can't. SAD. But it's okay. I manage by making sure I get enough sleep, to be specific, enough rested sleep. Drinking tea before sleep helps calm my senses... but tea is a diuretic, so I make sure to drink an extra glass (or tumbler) of water before I snooze off.

Skin care tip #4 Visit your dermatologist

I used to just go to your typical facial salons to get a facial every month (as regular as I can), but now, I've seen the difference of going to a dermatologist when it comes to taking care of my skin. I will never underestimate a proper facial anymore, so should you. I've been visiting Skin Philosophie for a while now, and my skin has been improving so dramatically. In my recent Skin Philosophie in BGC post, I shared how I 'unlocked' skin confidence through my derma. And no kidding, I really did... and every visit I continue to. My derma, Dra. Kyla Talens, introduced to me a more thorough and skin-deep process of caring for my skin, including repairing my skin blemishes. See, I have a scar on my chin which she's treating with laser, and few months in, I can see, or should I say unsee, my scar! It's definitely becoming less obvious. Fingers crossed, that after a few treatments, it'd totally be healed! Below you can see it emphasized by the lighting, but IRL it's not that deep anymore.

Can I just take a moment to take in how poreless my nose is. You have no idea how many whiteheads and blackheads I used to normally have on my nose! But since I've undergone regular facials and laser treatments with Dra. Kyla, my pores have been behaved.

Skin care tip #5 Listen to your skin

Before, I thought there's only one skin care routine for any person. I thought, when I find my regimen, I'd have to stick through it through whatever. But I learned that your skin care routine also changes with the seasons, sometimes with your hormones, and definitely depending on your lifestyle. So for my last but definitely not the least important skin care tip, I'd say, listen to your skin. Listen to what it needs and find the right product to treat it with. You can go from dry to oily, yes you could, so don't be stubborn and explore your skin care products. We live at a time and age where there's something for every skin concern. Take advantage. (Listening to your skin is also easier when you have a trusted dermatologist, so when you do visit your derma, ask for skin care recommendations!)

Happy August sunshine! We're halfway through the year. Let's continue to have an amazing one!